Board Report – July 2010

Congratulations to McCown and Johnston on your election as chair and vice chair in the coming year. I'd like to extend my appreciation to Albright for a great year of leadership.

I want to thank everyone who helped make graduation a success this year, including all the board members who attended, and the faculty, staff and students who organized our events, including our special celebration in Florence. All of our students will get a great start or second chance. Our students will do well because they have the advantage of getting a quality education from Lane Community College.

In Oregon, Governor Kulongoski exercised his executive authority to order a 9 percent across-the-board state budget cut to address the state's $577 million deficit. The impact to Lane is approximately $2.6 million, and you'll hear our plan for budget reductions later tonight. Democratic legislative leaders are not ruling out a special session but want to wait until Congress acts and until Oregon gets its next revenue forecast in late August. The reductions put the state's higher education spending below the "maintenance of effort" requirement set when the state received federal assistance from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, otherwise known as the stimulus bill. If the state does not restore $14 million to community colleges and universities or receive a federal waiver, it may lose an additional $570 million in federal assistance. To date, only 2 of 16 states that have requested waivers have been granted them.

Kulongoski also released the recommendations of the "Reset Cabinet," a group of advisors he appointed last September to look at how the state can best prepare itself to meet the future demands. Much of the report addresses structural concerns with state government, including the university system. The report suggests tying student success to funding formulas and allowing schools to include institutional aid when determining Opportunity Grant award amounts. Many of the recommendations likely will be considered during the 2011 session.

Earlier today, Lane hosted local business owners and several county and state legislative and business leaders to promote local business services including Lane’s Business Development Center, Lane Council of Governments grants, and Business Oregon. Jim Lindly, Brett Rowlett, and Representative Phil Barnhart’s office coordinated the event.

And now I'd like to turn it over to Sonya Christian to talk about accreditation planning and revisions to the mission statement.

Christian reported that the accreditation workgroup conducted a series of workshops and looked at the mission statement. She distributed a document with four options for a revised statement. One of the key words consistent in all options is "accessible." Affordability and offering of programs needs to be considered. Christian described differences of each option and how they would change the mission statement. Another topic to consider is the partnership with community. She asked the board to consider these elements before adopting a mission statement in September and developing core themes for accreditation standards.

Christian turned the president's report back to Spilde.

I'm delighted to report that I achieved my final goal as chair of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board before I stepped down on June 30. We hired Dr. Walter Bumphus to be the next president and CEO of AACC after a very careful six-month national search process. Bumphus is a proven leader with passion, energy and commitment. He currently is the A.M. Aikin Regents Chair in the Community College Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin and will succeed George Boggs in January.

I also wish success to "Ski" Sygielski, president of Mt. Hood Community College, who will chair the AACC board this year, keeping Oregon's prominence on the national community college map.

Before its July 4th recess, the US House of Representatives passed an amended supplemental appropriations bill, which includes $10 billion for education jobs and $4.95 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall. The bill now returns to the Senate for consideration later this month.

President Obama again called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. He renewed his support for the DREAM Act and asked Congress to start the process and pass the DREAM Act this session of Congress. As you recall, Lane's board passed a resolution in January supporting passage of the DREAM Act, which would create a path to citizenship though education for millions of America's undocumented students.

I attended the National Sustainability Workshop in Washington DC last month. Closer to home, I attended a town hall with Oregon Representative Phil Barnhart in Eugene.

I concluded June by facing off against Judge Michael Hogan in our Iron Chef competition sponsored by the Lane Foundation. There is no easy way to put this. I lost.

Later this month I will be presenting at the American Public Transportation Association conference here in Eugene. I'll be talking about my involvement with the White House workforce development initiative and the sharing some perspectives on workforce and transit from my year as AACC chair.

For the sixth year running, we received the Government Finance Officers Association certificate of achievement in excellent reporting.

On July 22, Lane's Northwest Energy Education Institute is sponsoring a lecture by Robert Kennedy, Jr., at the McDonald Theatre. You are invited to the lecture and to the reception. Thanks to Roger Ebbage for hosting this event.

Some other events to keep in mind are the Health and Wellness Center grand opening on September 23 and the Harvest Dinner and Auction on October 27, where our guest chef will be Mary Karlin, founder and chef instructor at Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma, California. Our co-chairs this year are Larry and Connie Hedberg.

I'd like to introduce Helen Garrett. Most of you know her as the Dean of Enrollment and Student Finance Services, but beginning July 1 she will be taking on the position of Executive Dean of Student Affairs. Taking her place in Enrollment Services on an interim basis will be John Hamblin, who is currently in a master’s program. John participated in our Aspiring Leaders program and is the first person who was involved in that program to move into another position.

I'd also like to introduce Jennifer Falzarano, our first ever director of the International program.